


Wholesome Sammy AU

by Purpledragon6



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff, Gen, Wally is a dork, big brother Sammy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-23 23:58:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13201350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purpledragon6/pseuds/Purpledragon6
Summary: When his mother forces him to babysit, the studio's already swamped Music Director will have to juggle babysitting AND his quickly approaching deadline.





	1. Chapter 1

Wholesome Sammy: Parent Practice Ch. 1

(Inspired by the ever lovely @ask-joeydrewstudios AU and sheer boredom.)

Sammy sat at his desk, reveling in the usual quiet of his office. The ink pump was almost silent, Wally wasn’t being his pesky self, and for ONCE his music writing was flowing beautifully. It was a rare treat; a good day! 

“… Somethings wrong.” The director huffed, slamming his music sheet down on the table and standing. “I never have good days here…”

Frowning, Sammy searched his pockets for his pack of cigarettes, just KNOWING that he’d be needing one shortly. Sooner of later, something stupid and zany was going to march itself into his room and spoil his concentration… Or spoil it more than he already spoiled it just by questioning his environment. It wouldn’t take long.

Any second. “Sammy!” Well, maybe he was wrong, for at that moment his favorite actress, Susie Campbell, stepped into his office. 

“Afternoon, angel. What can I do you for?” He asked, leaning casually against his desk and sticking his cigarette end between his lips. “Did Wally stick his head in another tuba?”

“Yes, but Norman has the situation covered.” Susie informed him, casually tugging a light out of her purse and lighting his smoke for him. As was the norm. “Mr. Drew sent me to tell you that you’ve got a call on line 1. It’s your mother.”

… Well, he had been right about something zany and stupid. He had only been wrong to doubt it for a minute there. 

With an exasperated sigh, Sammy reached for his phone and answered it. While one of the perks of his job was long nights away from his nagging family, a downside was definetly the constant phone calls that Joey never ignored. Even when Sammy begged him to just disconnect his phone! 

“Hello?” He muttered, hoping to get this conversation over with.

“Well, it’s nice that you could pick up for once, Mr. Hot-shot-song-writer! Were you too busy writing about singing chairs again!?” Always a joy to hear from his mother. “You know, I sometimes call when I need something from you!”

“… Hello, mother-”

“But that’s besides the point, dear. Your stepfather and I are going out for the evening and I need you to watch your sister as that- ‘office’ of yours for a few hours.” Sammy’s blood ran cold.

The director had barely been registering his mother’s words (mainly because he was too busy ignoring his mother and glaring at the softly laughing Susie) up until this point, but her request was just out of the question! 

“Ma- Mr. Drew doesn’t allow children in the studio!” He exclaimed, casting a longing gaze at the song he had almost been finished with. “And I have too much on my plate as is-”

“I’m sure you could watch a child while writing those ‘songs’ of yours.”

“Wally is one thing, but a 5 year old is another!” By now he could feel the phone creek under his tight grip on it. “And I’ve already said that Mr. Drew wouldn’t allow it!” 

There was a pause. “That Joey Drew is such a sweetheart, I’m sure he’d understand.” Welp. “I’ll pay you $5, hun.”

“The answer is still NO. I’m a busy man.” 

“Well, too bad! I’ve already dropped her off a half hour ago. Your co-workers were VERY nice to her.” That certainly explained the quiet. “I’ll be there to pick her up at 8. Good bye, Samuel!”

The phone went dead before Sammy event had a chance to reply. Sometimes he just couldn’t believe that woman… Or Joey for that matter! Norman wasn’t allowed to bring his grandkids in, so what made Sammy so special!?

“Its because Joey hates me and wants to see me suffer.” The out loud thought brought a look of confusion to Susie’s face, but Sammy brushed it off and exiting his office in order to find the little brat his parents called his 'sister’. 

Susie was following close at his heels. 

“I didn’t know you had a sister, Sammy.” She began, a pout playing on her lovely lips. “Usually that’s something you tell your girlfriend.”

“Half-sister, and now isn’t the time.” He huffed. “I have too much work to do and- Do you know where she might be?”

“Last I saw, she was in the projector booth with Norman.” Susie sighed, before adding thoughtfully, “Better shake a leg and get your band back in order before you miss another deadline.”

Sammy’s stomach flipped, and he took off running down the hall, the visions of his ALMOST completed song seeming so far away now…

.

.

When Sammy entered the music room, he found the entire orchestra in a riot as Norman worked furiously to free Wally from another tuba. As funny as it was, it would be yet ANOTHER hinderence to the music department. Their deadline has been pushed back one too many times for them to request any more time to finish their songs! The thought of a second incomplete song made Sammy want to be sick… And it made him hate Wally just a little bit more.

“And that, Annie, is how to properly get ya head stuck in a tuba.” Wally was saying, followed by a few grunts of pain.

Sammy stopped just before the struggling men and cleared his throat to get their attention. Obviously, Norman was the only one to look up. 

“Our apologizes, Mr. Lawrence.” Norman began. “But Franks here just likes showing off for the ladies… We’ll continue work as soon as we have our tuba back.”

“You do that, Norman- Just try to get the finished songs done tonight at least.” A shame that’s all he could ask of them.

“Just the finished ones? Dare may I ask what happened to the one you’ve been working one? You were supposed to have it done this afternoon!” If only Sammy had just ignored his phone and instincts, that would have happened.

“I understand, Norman… It’ll be ready this week.” There was no time to acknowledge the concerned look the beady eyed man was giving Sammy. Wally needed to be freed, his sister needed to be distracted, and his work needed to be done yesturday!

“Okay! Starting to get claustrophobic in here!” Wally whined. 

“God damn it, Wallace! Did you coat your head in glue before you stuck it in here!?” Well, that first part wasn’t going to get done anytime soon. 

With a sigh, Sammy began to scan the crowd for his sister. She wasn’t too far into the crowd, hiding her face tearfully. More than likely frightened by all the noise and buisness talk. It would have been a sad sight if Sammy wasn’t so busy, so instead of comforting her like a good big brother, he simply plucked her up and left the department with her. 

“Evening, Anne-Maria.” He greeted casually as he walked. 

“Neven, Sam!” She squeaked, poking her head out from behind her hands. “Yer fwiends is funny!” 

Her grammar and confusion of his co-workers role in his life was nauseating, but somewhat endearing. Not that he’d ever care to admit it to anyone. 

“We’re just gonna avoid them today. They’re very busy… Could you sit and colour in my office without bothering anyone?” With that, he slipped back into his office and awaited her response. “We have to do our jobs.”

“Course not, Sam.” She replied smartly. “My job is ta 'nnoy you to deaf!”

“… I’ve taught you well, dear.” There was a mix of both concern and pride welling in his chest, but mostly concern.

He had to think of a way to keep her out of his hair- something underhanded and yet simple enough that if she told their mom about it, she wouldn’t kill him for it. So locking her in a room was out of the question, but perhaps sticking her with a responsible employee who wasn’t busy with anything could work. 

Speak of yet another devil- er, angel, because at that moment who else but Susie Campbell should come strutting BACK into Sammy’s office. 

“Sammy dear,” The woman began, stopping when she spotted the little tot. “Oh! Exactly who I came to see. Would you just look at this little cutie!”

Before either Lawrence could react, the child was swept up in Susie’s arms and snuggled to the point that even Sammy felt a little sorry for her. Not that it mattered much. Susie was possibly his ticket out of anymore distractions and that was all he could ask for.

“How about you lovely ladies go play in the lobby while I work?” He suggest kindly. 

“But then we wouldn’t be able to bother you, dear.” A heart shouldn’t be able to sink as deep as Sammy’s did in that moment. “It IS our job as your ladies, after all.”


	2. A Practice in Patience

Wholesome Sammy: Parent Practice Ch. 2: A Practice in Patience.

(@ask-joeydrewstudios had pointed out the ‘Ch. 1’, so as I promised yesturday, here’s chapter 2.)

The song was nowhere close to being done. It had been almost half an hour before Sammy had (rudely) kicked Susie out of his office (it hadn’t been easy) tired of her incessant chatter, and another half an hour after that one, and yet he found that he still couldn’t get back into his earlier groove. It had been coming together so nicely… What had happened-

“Sam!” Oh, right. He currently had a missing tooth smile coveting up his work and two little feet digging mercilessly into his lap. “What’s it say!?”

“Its a song for the newest episode of our show…” Sammy sighed, attempting and failing to push the little one off of his lap. “If you would let me finish- You could listen to the hand perform it.”

“How long that gonna take?” Ann-Maria asked, her chubby fingers still holding tight to the sheet. “Can I help!?”

“No, and an hour if you let me work RIGHT now.” He said firmly, gently attempting to wiggle the sheet out of her grip. 

“Fowevew!?” She bellowed, her blue orbs going wide and filling with tears. “But I be dead by then!”

“No- I said an hour-” Not that there was a difference in five year-old time. “I promise, it won’t take long.”

He had made that same promise to Norman, of course, and inadvertently to Joey Drew. What would it hurt to tell one more person that same, little white lie. It wasn’t like it really mattered. The song would be done when it got done and that was that. 

“Pwomise?” She squeaked, still not letting him have the paper back, and still standing painfully on him. 

They had already wasted an hour going back and forth like this. It was safe to say that Sammy was beyond the end of his rope. 

“ANN-MARIA ROSANNA LAWRENCE!” Sammy cried, grabbing his paper back and pushing the child off of his lap. “Let me work, or so help me-”

All words died on his tongue when he saw his dazed little sister on the floor. Her tears were back and she was looking up at him with a startled expression in her eyes. A wave of guilt crashed over him like a hurricane. It might have been alright for him to raise his voice at a co-worker, they could handle a bit of yelling, but this wasn’t a co-worker. 

“I’m sorry-” The director began, setting the paper aside and gathering up the little girl. “But I have to finish this one page…”

Lanky arms wrapped around her tiny frame, shaking ever so slightly with her sniffles. She didn’t seem hurt at all, just frightened by the sudden outburst. Sammy knew he’d get quite a lashing from his mother for this later. 

“How about you take a little nap and- we can listen to the song when you wake up?” He suggested, rubbing circles on her little back. 

“P-promise?” She hiccuped, clinging a little tighter to him. 

“I promise. I just need to finish this piece is all.” His thin fingers lifted her chin up so he could look her in the eye. “Scouts honor and all that.”

Great. Now he would have to make good on that promise. Sighing in defeat, he grabbed his coat off of its rack and wrapped it around the little girl as a make-shift blanket in a ditch effort to sell her on the idea of a nap. Sure, it meant he would probably have to finish the song with one hand, but it was a small price to pay for some quiet. 

“Sam?” For the love of God… 

“Yeah, kid?” One more request, and then he would finish this damn song come hell or high water. 

“You sing me, like at home?” She asked sweetly. 

Without a moments pause between the question and his reaction, Sammy took off in singing his rendition of his sister’s favorite lullaby. Old and familiar, he knew he could sing that song by heart without even thinking of the words. 

“Goodnight my angel, time to close your eyes 

And save these questions for another day-” Fitting. Ironically fitting. 

Ann-Maria didn’t seem to notice, and snuggled closer to her brother’s chest and shut her eyes. It felt like a sigh of relief to Sammy, who grabbed his pen and set back to work as quick as he could carry a tune! The song would finally be done and he could wipe his hands of it and relax. 

“Mr. Lawrence?” Norman’s voice cut in, followed by the man’s appearance in the doorway, leading the still-singing Sammy to try and shush him with the wave of a hand. “Oh- I didn’t realize she was napping- I just wanted to say that Wally’s head is still stuck in the tuba-”

Maybe throwing his pen at Norman wasn’t the polite thing to do (or easiest, considering only his non-dominant hand was free.) But he’d be damned if his sudden scream be what woke his sister up. It was the only way for him to express anger now. 

“Sir, we’ve done just about everything short of cutting the damn thing off his head.” Norman huffed quietly, grabbing the pen off of the floor and returning it to Sammy. “We’ll just have to finish the sings without it. Are you finished with the-”

Both men paused and glanced down at the title of the last song they needed for the episode-

The Tuba Parade Song

“Son of a bitch… Would you look at that.” Norman laughed. “Looks like we gotta rewrite the whole damn song.” 

It took everything in Sammy’s being not to stab Norman with that pen and kill Wally himself. Fury bubbled up in his stomach and his face felt heavy from the blood pooling in his cheeks. He was in the verge of yet ANOTHER outburst, when a little voice cut him off.

“I can make tuba noisies!” Ann-Maria exclaimed. 

“I thought you were napping.” The oldest of the two men said with a smile. “I was all quiet and everything.”

“I was just petending.” She said, smiling brightly. “And I can help! Sam doesn’t gotta change a thingy!”

“Is that so?” Norman smiled. “Well, then he’d better finish his song so you can sing it then.”

The older man gave Sammy a kind smile and tipped his hat to the little lady before he left. Both of them knew a child making noises wasn’t going to cut it, but Norman seemed to only play along to give Sammy some peace for now. Not that it made much of a difference in that moment. 

For once, Sammy half-assed the end to his song, pushing it away from himself as soon as his pen tip marked the final period. 

“… Okay… Let’s go listen to our song.” He groaned, grabbing the paper and tucking it between his sister and himself. 

His fury hadn’t quelled much, and he felt that it would reignite fully the moment he saw Wally next. Which in this case would be very soon...


End file.
